For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 57-148945 (1982) discloses a lift which is movable along a rail secured to the ceiling of the room. A bed, a washstand, a chamber pot, a bathtub and the like are arranged under or in proximity to the path for the lift along the overhead rail which even leads into a neighboring room. Thus, the apparatus is provided with equipment which are necessary for the daily life of the invalid, so that he can be carried by the rail supported lift to an arbitrary position as needed.
Such a nursing apparatus is suitably installed when it is necessary to carry the invalid between a plurality of rooms, for reducing the burden on the nurse.
In order to install the aforementioned conventional nursing apparatus, however, a relatively large floor space is required. Therefore, it is difficult to directly introduce such a nursing apparatus into an average Japanese house in view of the space required for such an apparatus. Considering housing circumstances in Japan, in particular, a so-called 6-mat room has a dimension of about 270 cm by 360 cm, for example, is normally assigned to an invalid at best.
Thus, it has been substantially impossible to install all required nursing equipment in a relatively narrow, small room, and hence an invalid normally has been left in a bed-ridden state with the exception of a special case. In general, further, it is difficult for a single nurse to move an invalid unaided, and this also leads to a bed-ridden state of the invalid.
However, such a bed-ridden state is rather unpreferable for the invalid to recover from illness or other disorder. In recent years, the importance of rehabilitation has received particular attention, and many reports have been made to the effect that it is rather advisable for an invalid to perform a light exercise, in order to recover sooner.
In view of such circumstances, there is a need of implementing or assembling in a small room all nursing equipment, which can facilitate the movement and rehabilitation of an invalid, who requires medical treatment in his home, who may be left in a bed-ridden state yet without being in a hospital.